Red Rum
by RosePhyre
Summary: Gaara's newest case! Follow our favourite detective as he hunts for a serial killer in the midst of chaos...AU.slight!GAASAKU.PLEASE REVIEW!Character death...it's a murder story after all! UPDATED
1. Mistaken Identity

_A/N: Yes, I know it's bad of me to start a new fic when I just started A Life For A Life, but I couldn't resist! Forgive me? I really, really wanted to write a GaaSaku!_

STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY

* * *

RED RUM

Gaara frowned as he examined the body in front of him. Like most other cases, this one was clearly a homicide, done in a very clumsy way. The victim, a young man with dark hair and eyes, had been beaten to death with a blunt object. It looked like he had put up a bit of a fight, judging from the bruising on the knuckles. Unfortunately, he might have been caught off guard from the blows to the back of the head. It had caused his skull to split, leaving a bit of a mess.

Gaara never understood why he was the one who was always assigned these kinds of cases. It seemed that all the homicides happened exactly when he was on duty. It had been a long and tiring day in court when he got the call. Sighing, he pushed his red bangs away from his forehead. He decided to look for some clues.

He signalled to the paramedics that they could take the body. Shino would go get the man's belongings and confirm his identity. Walking around the dark street, he noticed that the ground was still damp from the afternoon storm. The earthy smell mixed with the scent of blood, creating an intoxicating combination. Gaara had to force his monster down as he tried not to breathe too deeply.

He noticed that there was blood on the pavement here. Funny, he thought to himself, it seemed that there had been more than one injury. The victim had not been bleeding profusely, yet there was a large puddle of blood about twenty metres from the body. He waved Kiba and Akamaru over to sniff the blood. They would take samples and start tracking. He only hoped that this was enough of a lead to identify the perpetrators.

_Perpetrators_. Gaara figured the victim had been ambushed by a second man when being chased by a heavily bleeding man. Maybe the victim had even injured his chaser…but there was no blood on the victim. This was strange.

The radio crackled to life, signalling that someone at the station had found something. He waited for Shikamaru to confirm the victim's identity. "Uchiha Sasuke. Age 25. But there's something funny about this whole thing…" Shikamaru's voice faded, leaving Gaara even more confused. There really was something strange going on.

Gaara frowned even deeper. It looked like a simple robbery, except for the presence of the mysterious blood. Kiba turned back, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "It's not blood. I don't know what it is, but I don't think it is blood." Turning back, the man scraped some liquid off the ground into a sample bottle. "We'll send it back for analysis."

Gaara figured he was over thinking the liquid. There was enough to place this as a simple robbing. They'd find the killer and slap him with a third degree. It was a simple case, but it didn't sit well with him. It was time to go visit the body.

x-x-x

Though Shino was respected for his work, he had never liked touching cadavers. There was something otherworldly about dead things. Especially ones that were murdered; they always had the most terrible expressions of shock on their faces. But this one looked slightly different. Sai didn't looked surprised per se. His facial muscles had relaxed when he had been knocked unconscious. Therefore, the man looked like he was sleeping. Except for the giant hole in the back of the head. That detracted from the peaceful image.

Shino pulled on some sterile gloves and got to work. The bullet had been fired from a close range, and had impacted the back of the skull. The force was enough to cause the body to jerk, accounting for the funny angles. Shino frowned. The killer had been merciful at least; the victim had been unconscious during the final blow, so he hadn't felt any pain or fear.

Disposing of his gloves, Shino turned around, accidentally hitting the table. This caused the body's head to tilt to the side just a little, but it was enough to give Shino a glimpse of a pale scar on the side of the neck. Getting excited, Shino snapped on a new pair of gloves and checked the other side. Yes, there was its twin, gleaming in the bright light of the morgue. The scars might have looked innocent, but Shino wasn't fooled. The body lying on the table was not Sasuke Uchiha.

x-x-x

"What?!" Gaara roared as he slammed the table with his fist.

Shino didn't even flinch. "Sir, it's just as I have written in the report. The body is not Sasuke Uchiha. The man is a close resemblance to him, but there is clear evidence of plastic surgery." Here, Shino pulled out some photos of the scars. "Therefore, it's safe to assume that this man's appearance has been altered to fit the Uchiha's."

"We can't be sure of that. For all we know, the real Sasuke could have gotten plastic surgery. He's rich enough, that's for sure." Gaara was ready to kill someone in frustration.

"Not a chance. All the Uchihas have a genetic defect that causes red eyes. It's what marks them as unique. Plastic surgery can't change eye colour. The body was wearing contacts." Shino motioned to another packet of evidence on the table. Gaara tried to think coherently.

"Ok, we have to identify this man. NOW! Get all the intelligence teams on this. It seems as if the press hasn't got word of the 'Uchiha murder' yet, so we should be good for a couple more days. I want a name in two days." Gaara could already smell trouble on the horizon. This case was going to be tricky to handle.

Last night, he had been too tired to realize the implications of a dead Uchiha heir. Maybe even the last Uchiha heir. The family was beyond rich, but they were very secretive. It was suspicious to say the least; many people had speculated that the Uchiha were backers of Konoha's crime scene. Whatever the case, the Uchihas were a dying power. A few years ago, many of them had been mysteriously killed, and no autopsy had revealed anything of use. Gaara himself suspected poison, but nobody had been able to prove anything.

There were two survivors to the whole ordeal. One was Uchiha Itachi, who had been serving with the military at the time. The fifteen year old boy had been at the boarding school at the time of the 'massacre', so he had escaped. The other survivor was seven year old Sasuke, who had been vacationing with some family friends in Suna. Luckily both boys had been relatively unharmed and had been taken in by Hatake Kakashi, an illegitimate child of the Uchihas. The man had been disowned by the family at a young age, so he remained the boy's closest living relative.

Sighing, Gaara put down the report that Shino had written. He was going to get some rest. He walked out of the station, not bothering to reply to his coworkers goodbyes. He had a long day ahead of him tomorrow.

x-x-x

When Gaara woke up the next morning, he felt a little better. Noticing that he had five voicemail messages, he sat down beside his phone with a cup of coffee. Pushing the little buttons impatiently, he waited for the first message to play.

_Hey Gaara. We've sent pictures of the body to Konoha Private Hospitals. We figure it's the place that did the surgery, so you better start there. You have a 1:30 appointment. Don't blow it. _

_--Beep--_

_Sir, the body has been prepared for burial. We have called Mr.Hatake to pick it up. He should be here in the evening. _

_--Beep--_

_GAARA! I can't make it to ramen night today. I'm sorry! Something's come up! JA NE!_

_--Beep--_

_Dear customer. This is a courtesy call to confirm your arrival at Konoha Private Hospital at 1:30 pm today. One of our talented professionals will be happy to answer any questions you have. Please call back if you cannot attend the meeting. There is a base service charge for any cancellations. Have a nice day!_

_--Beep--_

_Gaara, the lab called. They say its red paint. Sold at any common hardware store. I'm thinking that this lead is a total bust. Call me if you need anything; Akamaru and I are taking a day off today. See ya._

_--Beep--_

Even though murders were bad for the city, they made Gaara excited. He could smell a real challenge here. Getting dressed quickly, he left for the station. It was time to start the real investigation.

* * *

_A/N: Yeah, it's me. I started this oneshot last week and thought I'd post it. Obviously, it's becoming a multichapter fic. I think Gaara has to be a bit OOC here, but just a little bit. Hopefully the first chapter is interesting enough that people will read it…and keep reading. It'll only getter better from here…hopefully. So tell me what you think? REVIEW!!_


	2. The Plot Thickens

_A/N: Wow, I'm totally excited by all the reviews. I did this chapter in an hour…so I hope that it's up to your standards! The story is getting a bit confusing, I know, but hang in there. Now, without further ado…I give you CHAPTER 2!_

* * *

Gaara surveyed his closet. It was divided neatly according to colour and size. As a detective, he often had field missions of this sort, and he found it advantageous to look the part. Today, he would be posing as someone who would want plastic surgery. Therefore, he figured he should look a little wealthy. Picking out an ironed shirt and some slacks, he dressed quickly. He wanted to stop by Konoha Private first before going to visit the station. He left quickly, making sure to slip his badge, wallet and gun into his pocket.

Going undercover was almost like a blessing to him. He could pretend to be someone else for a change. Smiling lazily at the receptionist, he sauntered past the entrance and headed towards the large map in the corner. He was examining it closely when the door to the office next to him slammed open. A tall blond man rushed out in a hurry, ignoring the woman yelling after him.

Gaara was sure that the man who had run past him was Naruto. Keeping his head down, he watched as Naruto ran outside the building and into the parking lot. Hearing sniffles to his left, he casually checked out the woman next to him. She seemed to be crying quietly. Giving her a few minutes to compose herself, Gaara returned to looking at the map. He would confront Naruto later; he had a feeling that this had something to do with the fake Sasuke's death.

After the woman had headed back into the office, Gaara slowly counted to one hundred. She must have recovered by now. Mentally preparing himself, he walked into the office. The woman's head flew up, pink hair flying around it as she tried to wipe her tears. Her green eyes were starting to swell from her sobbing; she looked like a mess. Cursing quietly, Gaara tried to step back when he was stopped by a voice.

"No, wait please. You must be my 1:30. Please sit down…I'll be right back." The woman guided Gaara to the visitor's chair, shoved a magazine in his hands and walked out.

He flipped through the magazine absentmindedly as he studied the office. The desk was covered with various files and a pile of soggy tissues. He tilted his head to read the names on the files when something caught his eyes. It was a photograph of the doctor, Naruto, and three other men. The first man looked a bit older and was wearing some kind of mask. Only one eye was visible, and it was crinkled in mirth. The other man was Sasuke Uchiha himself. He looked a bit surly, almost as if he had been forced into the picture. In fact, that probably was the case, judging from the way Naruto was holding his arm. The last person was on the doctor's other side. He was holding her hand and smiling slightly. The odd thing was this boy resembled Sasuke. His eyes were further apart, and his nose was flatter, but he had the same pale complexion and dark hair that Sasuke had.

Frowning in thought, Gaara filed the thought away for further contemplation. He had to find out what this doctor's connection was to Sasuke. Hearing the distinctive click of the woman's heels, Gaara settled back into his chair with the magazine in his hands. The doctor walked back in, considerably refreshed. Her tone was clipped and professional, as opposed to the openly emotional one she had used earlier.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that. I'm Dr. Sakura Haruno, and I will be managing your operation. What can I help you with today?" Sakura smiled slightly at Gaara.

Gaara had already prepared his story in the car. Lifting up his bangs, he indicated the tattoo on his temple. "I want to get this removed."

Sakura got up and stood next to him. She motioned towards his forehead, and Gaara nodded in permission. She placed her warm hand over it, feeling around. "It was very well done, and it's deep. It'll be painful and we might have to do a couple of sessions." Her voice was clear and concise.

Gaara tried to ignore her hand on his bare skin. He hated direct contact with a passion; it brought back bad memories. And then he felt like he had to kill something. Pushing his homicidal feelings back, he nodded, and tried to think. "Hmmm…I've been considering some plastic surgery too. I want my nose realigned. I broke it in a fight years ago, and it never healed properly." Gaara figured that this would be a good topic starter; Sakura smiled back at him as she prodded his nose.

"Yes, I can see the break. It's a very simple procedure, really. We can probably do both at once." Sakura turned to get something from a shelf. It was a binder labelled **Noses.** She handed it to him, and said, "You can look through these and see if there are any preferences."

Gaara frowned as he flipped through the pages, imagining what his face would look like without his tattoo and a nose job. He closed the book and put it on the desk. Sakura had pulled out a laptop and was typing furiously. She looked up as picked up the picture frame on her desk.

"I'd like a nose like this, please." Gaara pointed to the dark-haired boy who had his arms linked with Sakura's. Immediately, fresh tears began to pour down her face. Sakura looked down, trying to control her sobs.

Concerned, Gaara looked at her. "What's wrong? I'm sorry if I was too forward…"

Sakura shook her head, and sobbed even harder. "No, it's not you. I just found out that…Sai is dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss." Gaara felt a tingling sensation. He was getting close, and he didn't want to blow his cover by seeming too interested. "He must have been a very close friend."

"He was my fiancé," she said as she pointed to the ring on her hand. "He died on the job."

"On the job?" Was this guy in the police force? Gaara tried to recall if there had been any deaths lately.

"N-no. He was a bodyguard for…" At this, she stopped suddenly. Looking around wildly as if someone was going to attack her, she reached for the photo in his hand.

Gaara was really excited now. He had a name, and there was some connection here. A man named Sai had died. Sai had a resemblance to Sasuke. They both knew Sakura. Sai was a bodyguard. A man had been killed yesterday. Sakura found out about Sai's death today. Naruto had upset Sakura. Naruto…

The pieces were floating around in his head, desperately trying to fit together. He had some clues, and a few good leads. Deciding that this was enough, he faced the woman in front of him. "Dr.Haruno, this is clearly a bad time. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. If you wish, I can come back at a later date…" Gaara waited for a moment before Sakura nodded, not even bothering to look at him. He left quietly, leaving Sakura behind in the office. Time to call Shikamaru.

x-x-x

Gaara got into his car and pulled out his phone. He made the call quickly, relaying the information quickly. Hearing Shikamaru typing away on the computer, Gaara felt a little better. If even the lazy genius was this motivated, then there really was something about this case. Maybe it was time to pay Naruto a little visit.

Gaara had met Naruto in college. While Gaara was getting a degree in forensics, his friend was studying political science. The two had been roommates for four years, so they had developed a friendship. They weren't close per se, but they had come to depend on each other over the years. In fact, Naruto was probably the closest thing to a friend Gaara had. But there had always been something strange about the boy.

Naruto was a cheerful bouncing ball of energy, but he would get depressed at the mention of his past. Gaara never brought it up, mostly because he had a past to forget as well. Once, in first year, he had come home to find Naruto curled up on the couch, crying his eyes out. When asked what was wrong, Naruto just said that he had gotten a call from an old friend. Figuring that it was best to leave the topic untouched, Gaara left him alone. The next day, Naruto was back on his feet, acting as if nothing was wrong.

After college, they had lost touch after Gaara returned to Suna. He had come back to Konoha a year later as a police detective. While on a homicide case, he had met Naruto, and they had rekindled their friendship. Well, almost. They didn't discuss the past, or the present. In fact, they usually just sat there in silence, enjoying each other's company.

Gaara sighed; remembering how had cancelled their weekly meeting at Ichiraku's ramen. It must have been something serious, considering how much Naruto loved his ramen. He parked in the parking lot and headed up to Naruto's apartment. It was a posh place; it even had a concierge and everything. Despite his apparent wealth, Naruto lived like a sloppy bachelor, preferring to wear old t-shirts and eat instant noodles. Typical Naruto. Even with all the riches in the world, he would still be a simpleton.

Gaara knocked on the door. He had only been here once or twice, when Naruto had invited him over. He tried the doorknob, and realized that it was open. Figuring that Naruto was asleep or still upset, he turned to leave. He paused when he heard a crash.

Gaara opened the door slightly and heard Naruto yell out, "But Sai is dead!"

The policeman stood there, hoping that no one would catch him at this. It seemed that even Naruto was involved in this whole fiasco. He didn't want to eavesdrop on his friend, but this was official business.

* * *

_A/N: Ok, so you should be able to guess who the victim. But there's obviously more to the story. And where's Sasuke? There aren't any suspects either…or are there?_

_I love writing suspense…it's exciting. I've got the story outline written out, but I have to fine tune it to make it work…_

_Anyway, please review! _


	3. Still Looking For Some Answers

_A/N: Alright, new chapter! YAY! Anyway, I've been busy and such, so I haven't updated. I think that my story count is pretty good for someone who's been here for 3 weeks…so I'm trying not to write obsessively. It's almost therapeutic, in a sense. _

_I'll stop chattering now…Enjoy!_

* * *

Gaara leaned against the doorway, hoping he looked inconspicuous. It wouldn't do for some old lady to come and alert the building security, now would it? Anyway, he waited for Naruto's next bout of shouting to begin.

"YES! I know the plan failed!" This piqued Gaara's interest. "The idiot is missing; his company is failing, and he runs away it out of here when he's got assassins after him! Don't you think I understand how bad this situation is?"

The unknown man began to speak in low, calming tones. "Naruto, it's not your fault Sai is dead. They were after Sasuke. It was the best thing the three of you could do given the circumstances…"

The _three_ of them? Who were these people? He supposed the first person was Naruto, and the second person was Sai, but who was the third person? Sakura? Gaara heard some crashing and the sound of glass breaking. Naruto was getting violent.

"Naruto, snap out of it!" There was a low thud and a pained groan.

"Kakashi! You don't have to go that far. I can handle myself, ok?" So, the mystery houseguest was none other than Hatake Kakashi. Thinking back to Sasuke's case file, Kakashi was Sasuke's legal guardian after the Uchiha massacre. He made a mental note to ask Shikamaru about this man and his connection to the case.

"You aren't calm. You need to handle this situation well. Think. They think that they killed Sasuke. The police are investigating the whole thing. Once they realize that the heir to the Uchiha Corporation is dead, the media is going to go crazy. I can handle the shareholder meetings and the daily business affairs, but you and Sakura need to focus on finding Sasuke. There has to be a reason why Sasuke left so suddenly." Kakashi's voice was cold, forcing Naruto to listen.

Even the blond had to pay attention. "Alright, Sakura and I are taking some time off. At this rate, I might have to give up on the elections next year."

"Naruto, I know how much you wanted to become mayor. But I'm sure this will work out before the speeches next month. I'll get Shizune to handle the planning, and I'm sure Tsunade will understand about Sasuke's situation. After all, she was the one who did the surgery with Sakura."

Gaara couldn't believe his luck. Just one conversation and he had gotten a whole new set of information. He had to get out of here and alert the station. They had to get to the bottom of this. He walked past the front desk, nodding at the doorman. He had a lot of work to do.

x-x-x

Shikamaru stared at Gaara as he presented the request for three more background searches. _Uzumaki Naruto. Haruno Sakura. Hatake Kakashi. _Muttering under his breath, he began typing away at his laptop.

Gaara, on the other hand, was working out the case using pencil and paper. He knew there was something big missing here. Ok, so Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai were friends. They knew each other, and since Kakashi was Sasuke's guardian, he was thrown into the mix. Since Sasuke had disappeared, the Uchiha Corp, one of Konoha's biggest companies, would have been in an uproar. But this was not the case. Why? Because Sai, with the help of his plastic surgeon friend, Sakura, had been modified to look like Sasuke. This meant that the Uchiha Corp could still function even if Sasuke wasn't there.

And now for the million dollar question-why was Sasuke missing? It didn't sound like a kidnapping; Naruto said that he had run away. And he had also mentioned assassins. From the looks of things, Sai had been murdered in Sasuke's place, and to top it all off, Sasuke was still missing. Gaara tapped the pencil against the edge of his notebook. Once they found Sasuke, the rest of the puzzle would fall into place.

x-x-x

Naruto ran a tired hand through his hair. He was going to pick up Sakura, and get to agree to his plan. They, meaning Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto himself, were going to go find Sasuke. It wasn't fair for Sasuke to just run away and leave his friends like that. They had figured that Sasuke had gotten into some trouble, and they were right. The assassins had failed before, when Kakashi had been able to hold them off, but they had gotten Sai this time.

Naruto clenched his teeth as he thought of Sai. The man was a bit odd, seeing as his official job title was _Wandering Artist. _He travelled throughout the country, drawing and painting. Whenever he returned, he would host auctions and galleries, making millions each time.

Naruto reached Sakura's modest townhouse and parked in the garage. Using his key, he entered the house, locking the door behind him. He made himself comfortable on the couch, hoping that Sakura would be home soon. Falling asleep almost immediately, Naruto didn't hear the door open.

x-x-x

Sakura left her office as soon as she got the call. To be honest, she had been surprised that Naruto had waited this long. It had been nearly three months since Sasuke had disappeared, and only now were they going to go look for him. Se supposed that was Kakashi's influence; the older man had managed to convince them that it was Sasuke's best that he got some alone time.

Naruto and Sakura had been sure that he would return within a week; Sasuke was prone to withdrawing from uncomfortable situations. The day after the first attack from the assassins, the Uchiha had vanished without a trace. A lot of money had been withdrawn from his account, and a small suitcase was missing. After the first month, Sakura had begun to worry. Sasuke was never gone this long. She had called his favourite retreats, even dragging Sai with her to check them out when she didn't get a reply.

The next two months had been a constant battle. After getting a not from Sasuke saying that he was sorry and that he wasn't coming back, Sai had come up with the plan to buy some time. He would get plastic surgery and take Sasuke's place; saying that Sasuke had just returned from a private trip. With Kakashi's help, they managed to authenticate Sai's story, and had prevented the downfall of Uchiha Corp. But the trio still worried about Sasuke and had begun collecting information and formulating plans for the day that they would go after him.

Sai's death had been the catalyst. Now, Naruto and Sakura really had to bring back Sasuke before things got out of hand. They hadn't been able to hire anyone to help them; any news of Sasuke's disappearance would have caused a massive uproar. Now, with him 'murdered', she supposed there was no way to work around it.

She thought that they had been good friends by letting Sasuke be alone when he wanted to be; but she couldn't help but feel that they had been lax about the situation. They had been gathering information for the past month, but they couldn't pinpoint his location. Sasuke could have been in any amount of trouble by now. Sighing softly, she reread her permission of leave from the hospital. She had one week to find Sasuke and bring him home. She had to do this for Sai.

She found Naruto's car in the garage and realized that he was already inside. Unlocking the door quietly, Sakura put down her keys. Naruto was already asleep on the couch, the television blaring loudly. As she reached over to turn it off, she caught a flash of movement in the kitchen. Arming herself with a lamp, she slowly slid along the wall into the kitchen. Peeking around the corner, she steadied her weapon in her hand.

"Good afternoon Dr. Haruno." The man was sipping some tea, watching her movements. "I believe we've met before. Sabaku Gaara."

x-x-x

Gaara decided to ignore the lamp that Sakura was swinging. He supposed he would arm himself too if he thought someone had decided to break into his house. And he did break and enter. Gaara's lock picking skills were nothing to boast about, but the door had been pretty easy to break. He had been waiting for Naruto to wake up, but the snoring had started to drive him insane. Finding some tea to calm his headache down, Gaara had made himself comfortable while waiting for Sakura to come home.

And now, there she was. Thinking quickly, Gaara stood up and held out his right hand, hoping that this would force her to put the lamp down to shake his. Instead, Sakura just whacked him on the head with the ceramic base. Gaara swore he could see stars before he collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

x-x-x

When he woke up, there was a world of pain in his head. He could feel his headache throbbing. Opening his eyes slowly, he could see the television beside him, meaning that he had been moved to the couch where Naruto had been sleeping. Listening harder, he could make out hushed voices coming from the kitchen over the noise of the TV.

Sakura and Naruto looked up when they heard a pained groan. Reacting instantly, they were by Gaara's side in seconds. Naruto looked worried for his friend, while Sakura looked angry. There wasn't much he could say at this point, so Gaara decided to go with the safest route-honesty.

He flashed them his badge, noting how Naruto didn't look too surprised. Sakura on the other hand looked nervous, as if she was thinking about everything she had told him at the doctor's office. He explained that he was on the murder case and how he had figured that they were the best people to talk to since they were 'Sasuke's' friends. Pretending to be oblivious, he looked at the pair innocently.

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other. They hadn't expected anyone to come investigating, and they were regretting their oversight. They tried to come up with something quickly, but realized that it wouldn't do to hide anything anymore. Sakura excused herself and dragged Naruto upstairs.

"What should we do?! This random guy breaks into my house, and he's a detective looking for Sai's murderer. Well, I mean Sasuke's murderer…or…no, wait…" Sakura trailed off as she saw Naruto's face darken.

"He's not just some random guy. He's Gaara. My roommate from college. I didn't realize he was on a case though…but he knows me. And I know him. I don't think we can fool him. He's thorough." Naruto didn't want to say it, but he thought that Gaara might be of some use to them.

"Do you think you could talk to him? Tell him to back off?" Sakura's tone was laced with desperation.

"I can't. He's like that when he's on a case. And he's good. Sakura, don't you think he could help us?" Naruto paused. "He's with the police. He can help us find Sasuke. And, he's trustworthy, I know he is."

Sakura considered this. The police did have a lot of resources that they didn't have. But that would mean explaining everything to him…and Sakura wasn't sure if everything they had done was perfectly legal. She was positive there was some fraud charges involved, maybe even identity theft…who knew? Could they really trust Gaara?

Naruto watched Sakura's emotions play out. When it looked like she had calmed a bit, he flashed her a small smile. "We're going to have to cooperate. If we don't, he has enough to implicate us in Sai's or even Sasuke's death. And we'll have to tell him everything anyway."

x-x-x

Downstairs, Gaara found some Tylenol and swallowed two pills. His headache was slowly fading away, leaving a vague achy feeling. Sakura's lamp was really hard. He picked it up off the floor and placed it on the table, only to turn around as he heard Naruto and Sakura come down the stairs. They looked determined, as if they were ready to face some evil monster.

The men sat around the dining table as Sakura began to brew some tea. It was going to be a long evening. An hour later, Gaara had been through two cups of tea and another Tylenol. They had explained to him Sasuke's disappearance, and how Sai had filled in for him. Gaara thought that the plan seemed a little farfetched, but Uchiha Corp was once of Konoha's big companies. If it went down, a lot of people and businesses would be bankrupt. The same thing had happened when the Uchiha massacre occurred, and it had taken a few years to rebuild the company.

Gaara sighed again as he considered the new information. He still didn't know why Sasuke was missing, but the next step was clear. He had to go with Naruto and Sakura to find the missing Uchiha heir…

* * *

_A/N: Ok, so chapter done! What do you think? I'm so pleased that __**9**__ people reviewed already. See…I'm easily satisfied. Um, I'm not quite sure if my writing is alright, but I'm hoping to improve! REVIEW! _


	4. Missing Links

_A/N: I'm back with another chapter. I gave up a little on this story partway through. Sorry about that. There were some really stressful things, and I couldn't really spare any time for writing. Also, I got a couple of reviews on my other story 21 Questions that really made me question whether I was actually putting my best effort into writing these stories. I mean, there are so many good ones on this site, and I really want to improve. And there you have it, I found my motivation again! My plots may not be engaging and my characters may not be complex, but I'm giving it my best shot. =)_

* * *

Gaara sighed as he looked out over the water. They were taking a ferry to Hoshigakure, to see if Sasuke's ancestral town had any answers. It was widely claimed that the Uchiha family was one of Konoha's founding families, and that was true to an extent. But they had to have come from somewhere. Thanks to Sakura's extensive research, they had traced the Uchiha family back to its origins in Hoshi.

Their ferry would reach the island nation in a few hours. The mainland was receding quickly, covered by a light morning mist. Gaara supposed the water and the sky were pretty enough, but being a desert boy, he much preferred the vastness of the sand dunes in Suna. There was too much water here.

Hoshi didn't have anymore Uchiha living there, but they figured it was a start. After all, that was the last place Itachi had been posted before going MIA. For years, everyone had believed the older Uchiha had been safely stationed in Suna, but it turned out that Itachi had been part of many, many undercover missions. His last mission, some months ago, had been in Hoshi. The purpose of the mission was classified, of course, and even Naruto couldn't pull enough strings to find out. Shikamaru was still working day and night on the case, relaying any information he found to his boss.

Sakura had just stepped out, yawning delicately. Her seeming innocence masked a brilliant mind. After listening to her story the night before, Gaara deduced that her investigative approaches and reasoning might be on par with Shikamaru's; her talents were wasted at a hospital. She approached him slowly. He nodded at her once, and resumed watching the shoreline. It was a thin blue line in the distance; growing farther and farther away.

Sakura broke the silence. "It sure is pretty out here, isn't it? Pity Naruto is still asleep; he's missing out on the sightseeing. How much longer till we get there?"

Gaara muttered a reply, wishing she had left him alone. "Three hours if the weather holds." He wanted to think alone.

Sakura sighed as she ran her hands through tangled hair. She had lain awake in bed for over an hour last night, running over possible theories and plans. She wanted someone to listen to her reasoning and help her figure this out. "Then, I'd like to talk to you over breakfast," she said, gesturing to two plates of food.

Gaara hadn't noticed her bringing up the food; he had been engrossed in his thoughts. He ate slowly, waiting for her to tell him what this was all about.

"So, I've been thinking. There must have been a reason why Sasuke left so suddenly. It must have something important, and I think I know what it might be. Obviously, the Uchiha massacre, but there has to be something more than that. It had to have been important enough to make Sasuke drop everything in the middle of the night and run, without even telling anyone."

Gaara nodded, but he didn't understand where she was going with this. From what he had read, Sasuke wasn't the most sociable person. He was cold and ruthless in the business world. His talents had earned him a lot of praise and enemies in the business world.

"So I'm thinking that family is the reason that Sasuke left. But, the timing of it all. I think that someone contacted him. Whatever it was, it was big news. Itachi is missing too. He's been missing for a while, I know…almost a year, but I'm sure there's a connection."

That made sense. After all, both brothers were missing, and they were the only family each other had. Other than Kakashi, but he didn't really count at the moment. Anyway, there was a hole in the plan. Itachi had been missing for almost a year. Sasuke had left three months ago. So, why now? This was probably an elaborate kidnapping or something; rich people were always ending up in trouble.

Voicing his concerns, Gaara watched different emotions flit across Sakura's face. She was hard to read, but it wasn't impossible. He could see from the way she bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows that his suggestions weren't sitting well with her.

"No, his phone and laptop were gone. So were his coat and his wallet. He even stopped by the bank to withdraw a nice amount of cash. And there are the plane records. He was headed to Mist, and that's the closest country to Hoshi. Either way, it might've been a sudden decision to leave, but I don't think he was forced into anything. At least physically. We can't rule out blackmail."

Gaara supposed that was true, but any plan could be engineered well enough to suit the situation. Who's to say that someone hadn't come in and purchased the tickets in Sasuke's stead? Someone hadn't taken his coat, cellphone, wallet, and bank card? After all, Sai had been posing as Sasuke and it hadn't caused a massive uproar. Gaara frowned as he regarded Sakura. She would fight anything he said; she was sure that Sasuke had left of his own volition to do something important. Keeping quiet, Gaara sipped at his orange juice and resumed looking over the rails at the blue water.

x-x-x

When they finally got to Hoshi, Gaara was a little disappointed. Though Hoshi was a small nation, it was a teeming metropolis full of ancient history. There was no way they could find Sasuke at this rate. Gaara, Sakura, and Naruto stepped off the ferry and onto the docks. They were immediately beset by vendors, each promising the best deals on anything and everything. Luckily, with one dose of Gaara's annoyed glare, a small path was cleared through the throng of people.

Naruto yawned sleepily as he stretched. One of his arms shot out and accidentally hit a taller man and his bag of groceries. Though Naruto hadn't put any real force into the blow, the man stumbled a little and dropped in groceries, while inadvertently bumping into Gaara. Not really paying attention as Naruto and Sakura scrambled after the various fallen produce, Gaara helped the man up. He seemed to be quite young, maybe in his late twenties. He was about half a head taller than Gaara himself, and seemed to be limping. The man nodded his thanks and gathered up his bags from Naruto and Sakura.

The trio then began to move towards their first destination – a nice hotel that Sakura had booked for them. Gaara and Naruto would be sharing a room, while Sakura was across the hallway. After a nice light lunch at a local café, Gaara retreated into his room to do some strategic planning. He took of his shoes, and lay fully clothed on his bed. He needed to think.

Slowly closing his eyes, Gaara went over all the information that he had gathered so far. There were many jumbled pieces, and some were starting to connect. He couldn't help but feel a bit disgruntled. There was one man who was throwing a huge wrench into this whole affair. What was Uchiha Sasuke after? The guy had everything. A huge house, lots of money, and, if the rumours were true, many love interests. What would make a man like him throw away everything?

Gaara got tired of thinking about Sasuke. The man was a complete mystery. What were his motivations? Surely not money. Sure, the Uchiha Corp might not be number one, but it was still a huge company with many holdings. Not to mention that Sasuke had a sizeable inheritance, seeing as he was the last remaining heir.

Wait. Not quite. There was still the case of Uchiha Itachi. Though Itachi's missing person file was still at the station, it was virtually untouched. For one thing, there was no information on him, seeing as he was part of the military. Also, the case had been marked MIA, and had all sorts of military red tape on it. Itachi was on a mission, and they wouldn't have any information lying around about it. Sighing slightly, Gaara rolled over onto his side and tried to clear his mind. Maybe a nap would help.

Three hours later, Gaara was shaken awake by a frantic Naruto. Gaara resisted the urge to grab his gun from his beside as he noticed the blonde hair in his field of vision. Groaning slightly, Gaara sat up and waited for Naruto to tell him the exciting news. Whatever it was, it had better be good. He rarely got any sleep as it was, and waking him up was akin to having a death wish.

Naruto gasped excitedly, saying, "Sakura's found something. Or, someone. Anyway, we think Sasuke's here!"

Gaara leapt off the bed and began to put on his shoes and socks. He grabbed his stuff and stashed it in his various pockets, and ran a quick hand through his hair. Presentable enough. "Let's go," he said, rushing out of the room and across the hallway.

What he didn't expect to see was another woman sitting with Sakura. The two were sitting on the single bed, chatting away as if they were life-long friend. Which, as far as Gaara knew, they could be.

Sakura noticed his presence first. Gesturing to the redheaded woman, Sakura said, "Gaara, I'd like you to meet Karin. Karin, meet Gaara. He's helping me find Sasuke."

Karin grinned at him. "Not bad Sakura. With the three of you, I'm sure you'll find Sasuke…in ten years."

Gaara bristled at this, ready to take offence. Sakura just laughed. "I know," she said amiably. "That's why we need your help, Karin."

Karin's grin grew even wider. "Of course…anything for my friend and future sister-in-law. But you three will have to make it worth my while. I'm here looking for Sasuke too, but I usually work alone. It'll take a lot of convincing to make me drag you three around Hoshi."

Gaara regarded the woman with less animosity. "Who are you, Karin?"

With a wink, the cheeky woman stood and proclaimed, "Why, I'm Sasuke's girlfriend, of course!"

* * *

_A/N: Haha, so there's chapter 4. I think that there's still quite a bit to go from here. I think you can make the connection why Sasuke would leave...I mean, I've hinted quite heavily about it. Hopefully the next chapter will be easier to write (I've given myself a good starting point!) and will be more interesting to read._

_Please read and review._


End file.
